The Darker Side of Things
by Jessica Wolfe
Summary: -All Chapters Updated- 10 years after the movie. Sarah thought her adventures in the Labyrinth were over, but now she has been dragged back against her will. Can she defeat this new threat?
1. As the World Falls Down

**As the World Falls Down**

Thunder rolled outside the window. The rain that had threatened all day now came down with a vengeance. Sarah sat on her bed, her knees pulled up supporting her chin, as she stared at the silver sheen that was her window.

_It was raining that night too_, she thought.

Unbidden came the memory of the telephone call that had shattered her life.

_"Hello?" she said into the receiver._

_"Is this Sarah Larsen?" asked the voice on the other side._

_A cold hand gripped Sarah's heart. "Yes."_

"_Ma'am, this is Officer Reid. We need you to come down to the hospital. There's been an accident."_

_Sarah's mind went blank. She couldn't think, couldn't answer. _Please, not Richard_, she begged._

"_Ma'am?" said Officer Reid. "Ma'am? Should we send an officer over to bring you here?"_

"_Yes," she whispered. "Please."_

She'd bundled herself and her six-month-old daughter Ashley against the chill November rain and waited for the police car to arrive. Once at the hospital she'd been surprised to find not only her father and step-mother, but her in-laws as well. Momentary anger dispelled her terror. Had she been the last one notified? Why hadn't her parents, or Richard's parents, come to get her? Her father took Ashley, and Sarah had been led to a room where a sheet-draped form lay on a gurney.

A doctor had come in and started talking to her, but she hadn't been able to take her eyes off that still form.

_God, _she'd prayed silently, _don't let it be Richard. My baby needs a father._

Finally the doctor had stopped talking and gestured her toward the gurney. He'd lifted the sheet and Sarah's knees gave out. With a wail she sank to the floor crying her husband's name over and over again. She hardly noticed when her father and step-mother came in the room and tried to consol her. She didn't know how many minutes or hours passed before they were able to coax her from the room and take her home.

It had been a robbery. The man had tried to rob a convenience store and been shot by the owner. Richard had been the surgeon on duty in the ER when the man came in. Richard tried to treat the robber, but he'd pulled a knife and stabbed her husband.

Sarah's parents had stayed with her through the funeral preparations and for a week afterward. But then work and other obligations had called them away. Sarah was rarely left alone though. A steady stream of family and friends had come to keep her company and to tend Ashley, leaving Sarah to grieve.

Tonight, on the year anniversary of Richard's death, Sarah's father and stepmother came to take Ashley.

"You need time alone tonight," her father said as Sarah zipped up Ashley's coat and put her mittens and hat on.

"You really need to pull yourself together," her stepmother chimed in. "Your daughter needs a mother, not an emotional mess. The rest of the family is exhausted from taking care of you both."

"Irene, now's not the time," her father chided.

But somehow her stepmother's barbs hadn't carried their usual sting.

_I must be totally dead emotionally_, thought Sarah as she put on Ashley's boots. Even Irene wasn't enough to stir feelings in her. She placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead and then handed Ashley to her grandfather.

"We'll bring her back tomorrow night," he said before heading out into the night.

"Thanks, Dad," Sarah said. "Thank you, Irene. I know I haven't made this easy for you."

Irene looked flustered. Sarah's father smiled and kissed her. "We love you, honey. I just want to see you smile again."

As the door clicked closed, Sarah felt the tears well up in her eyes. She run to her room and threw herself on the bed sobbing like a baby. Somewhere in her emotional storm, she'd fallen asleep, but now her tears were dry and she sat on the bed recalling all the good times she'd shared with Richard.

After her adventure in the Underground she'd changed. She had been more grown up, more responsible. She'd put away many of her daydreams and focused more on reality; finishing high school, going to college, then meeting and marrying Richard. That wasn't to say that she didn't have occasional visits from Hoggle and Underground friends, but she found that she had an inner reserve of strength, and she could make it on her own.

Now Sarah let her mind take her back to her time in the Labyrinth. She recalled the challenges she'd faced and the friends she'd made. Hoggle's wrinkled face floated before her eyes and she could imagine him chastising her for taking things for granted. Then Sir Didymus formed in her mind's eye and she smiled remembering his gung-ho attitude. Lastly, gentle Ludo appeared with the simple message 'Sawah, fwend'. With the memories of happier days in her mind, Sarah drifted into a deep, restful sleep.

* * *

Outside her window an owl sat in the tree, watching. It was a great horned owl, so dark brown it was almost black. Its golden eyes pierced the rain and watched the young woman as she laughed and cried remembering her husband and friends. As Sarah into sleep the owl stirred.

Now was the time to put its plan into action. While the girl slept and was vulnerable to his suggestions.

The owl spread its huge wings and flew into the storm.

* * *

"Sarah."

Sarah grumbled and rolled over.

"Wake up, fair maid."

"Too early. Lemme sleep," she mumbled.

"Sawah, need help," rumbled a deeper voice.

There was no mistaking those voices. Sarah opened her eyes and sat up.

Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus stood before her. They all looked older than she remembered, and world-weary.

"We are in need of thy help, fair maiden," said Sir Didymus.

"We needs ya ta come solve th' Labyrinth again," said Hoggle.

Ludo nodded his shaggy head. "Help, help," he rumbled.

Sarah turned away from her friends and hung her head.

"I can't," she whispered closing her eyes.

* * *

Sarah lay in quiet darkness for a while before she became aware that she wasn't alone. A hand was rhythmically stroking her hair and a soft male voice was singing. She opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of a large bed. Sitting at her side was the King of the Goblins. He was dressed simply in black tights and a white poet shirt that hung open, exposing his chest.

She closed her eyes again, relaxing. She had long ago discarded her dislike for Jareth. There was nothing he could do to her now. And at this moment she needed comfort. His familiar yet exotic presence calmed her.

"Thank you," she murmured.

The singing stopped and the hand stilled, but didn't leave her head. She opened her eyes to see him looking down at her with his mismatched gaze. He smiled.

"Are you ready to come back?" the Goblin King asked.

"I can't," said Sarah, softly. "I have a child to take care of. Responsibilities."

Jareth sighed and looked away. Sarah thought he looked very tired. She was stunned he'd show so much emotion. She reached up and touched his hand where it rested on her head. He looked at her and smiled again. Jareth took her hand in his and raised it to his lips.

"Farewell, Sarah." He stood and started to back away, her fingers slipping from his. "I don't think I will ever see you again."

Something in his voice made her breath catch in her throat. She reached out to him, but he faded from her sight. The bed she was lying on, and the room around her, vanished and she felt herself falling through an immense space.

_There's no one to catch me, _Sarah thought frantically.

"That's the risk you run, when the world falls down," said a voice from the darkness.

Sarah thought it was Jareth and for a moment her fears vanished.

Then she hit the floor.


	2. Give Me the Child

**Give Me the Child**

Sarah cried out as she hit the floor. Something twined around her body making it hard to move. With a start she opened her eyes and realized that she'd fallen off her own bed and was tangled in the sheets. She pushed tousled hair off her sweaty forehead and breathed a sigh.

"It was a dream," she said softly.

She struggled to her feet and yanked the bed into some semblance of order. Then she went for a shower. Feeling a little better she made herself coffee and pancakes.

_Richard, today_ _I'll visit all our special places_.

Her father had said that he'd bring Ashley back that night so she had the day to herself. Sarah quickly finished her breakfast and pulled on her coat and scarf. She opted to walk instead of drive and was glad that most of the places she wanted to visit were close.

At the gate to the amusement park, Sarah stopped and looked. She saw the roller coaster where she'd first met Richard. And there was the Ferris Wheel where they'd first kissed, two months later. She didn't go in, just smiled at the memories and moved on. She saw their favorite movie in the little theater that played the old classics, and ate lunch at their favorite Italian restaurant.

She ended up in the park where Richard had proposed to her. She walked around the small lake where he'd taken her boating and took a seat on a bench overlooking the whole park.

"I miss you, Richard," Sarah said quietly.

Sarah felt a presence at her back and turned, but no one was there. Turning back to gaze out over the park she thought she felt a hand on her shoulder. The voice of the familiar blond-haired Goblin King seemed to whisper her name on the wind.

"Damn it, Jareth," Sarah whispered. "Leave me alone with my memories."

The feeling of being watched disappeared. Suddenly, Sarah felt as if she'd lost her only protection against some unknown force. A chill went up her spine and she looked around. In a nearby tree Sarah noticed a huge great horned owl. Its golden eyes seemed to stare at her with ill concealed mirth.

As Sarah watched, the owl spread its dark wings and flew off in the general direction of her house.

"Ashley," Sarah said.

She gave herself a shake and stood.

"I'm letting my imagination run away again," she said to no one in particular.

* * *

Sarah's father dropped by at eight and left Ashley with her mother. Sarah bathed Ashley and put her down with a bottle. Then she made some hot chocolate and sat by the fireplace. She didn't light it anymore. Richard had always done that and Sarah had never learned the art of starting a fire in that small enclosure. The one time she'd tried the house had filled with smoke and smelled smoky for a week afterward.

For a long time Sarah just stared into the dark cavern and sipped her hot cocoa. She pulled a quilt around herself and began to drowse. Images played on the backs of her eyelids. Happy images. Images with Richard. But there was something there that she hadn't noticed before. In all of her memories with Richard, there seemed to be someone else lurking in the background. A blond, blue-and-green-eyed someone. Over the years she'd spent with Richard, the blond figure faded from the scene leaving her and her husband alone.

"I hope you're happy," she thought she heard him say before he disappeared completely.

There was something else too. A kind of soft moaning in the background. Something not altogether nice.

Sarah's eyes popped open, but the low sound remained. It was coming from upstairs. Sarah's heart began to race. The sound was coming from Ashley's room. She got to her feet and padded up the stairs to her daughter's room. Sarah carefully opened the door, so as not to wake her daughter, and peered into the room. Ashley lay on her back, breathing deeply. Sarah watched her daughter sleep for a moment, a small smile lifting her lips, the closed the door.

"I'm probably just tired," she told herself.

She headed back downstairs to put her mug in the sink, but halfway down the hall she stopped. There were the voices again. Low, but audible. The words just outside the range of understanding. The hair on the back of Sarah's neck and along her arms stood at attention. She shivered and started back toward Ashley's room.

The voices grew louder, as if they sensed her approach. Sarah quickened her pace. Darkness crept out from between the floor boards, hardly noticeable at first. Just a lengthening of the shadows. She was only a few feet from her daughter's door when the hallway seemed to stretch, turning a few feet into several yards.

"Ashley," Sarah called.

She started running, heart hammering in her chest. The murmuring grew louder, yet still Sarah couldn't make out the words. The shadows slithered up the wall and pooled on the floor. Ashley's door shone white against the blackness that surrounded it, and Sarah realized that she now floated in nothingness, along with that forever faraway portal.

"Ashley!" Sarah screamed.

There was an answering cry from the other side of the door and suddenly the hallway snapped back to normal. Sarah rushed to the door and turned the handle. She fumbled for the light switch and nearly cried in relief when the light came on. Everything looked as it should. The toys, the pastel colors. What had caused Ashley to cry out? Had it been Sarah's scream? And if so, why wasn't her little girl still crying?

A sick feeling descended on Sarah. Suddenly the toys seemed distorted and menacing, the pastel colors differing shades of shadow.

"Ashley?" Sarah called.

The sheet draped form in the crib moved.

_Oh God, not this, _Sarah prayed. _Not again!_

With deliberate steps, Sarah crossed to the crib. The bundle under the sheet shifted again causing Sarah to jump. The hairs on her arms rose again and a ball of ice settled in her stomach. Tears formed in her eyes and fell unheeded down her cheeks. Before she could allow herself to think she rushed to the crib and yanked the sheet back.

At first Sarah stared uncomprehending. There in the center of the crib was a spinning vortex of black nothingness streaked with red. Horrible sounds came from that blackness. Sounds of damned souls in torment. Sarah thought she saw burning eyes in twisted faces staring back at her. Then the realization struck her—Ashley was gone. She had known, but the reality of it shocked her.

With a scream, Sarah hurled the sheet at the vortex in the crib. Mocking laughter filled the room as the portal vanished before the sheet hit it. Sarah ran from the nursery into her own bedroom. She snatched up the phone and dialed her father's number.

"Hello?" came the sleepy voice on the other end.

"She's gone. Ashley's gone," Sarah nearly screamed into the phone.

"What! What happened? Did someone break in?"

The memory of the vortex made Sarah laugh hysterically. "No one broke in. They just ripped a hole into the Underground and stole Ashley from her crib." Even as she said it, she knew it was true. Someone from the Underground had stolen her baby. And it wasn't Jareth. She knew that too.

"Sarah, honey, calm down. We'll be there as soon as we can. Call the police."

"They won't do any good," Sarah said, surprised at how calm her voice had become. She was going back to the Underground. She had to save her child. "I'm going back to the Labyrinth."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Then, "Sarah, you told me that was just a dream. A fantasy you made up. You need to be strong now. Call the police."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Sarah said. "I have to go back."

"Don't do anything rash Sarah." She could tell her father thought she was out of her mind. "We'll be right over."

"Don't bother. I won't be here."

"Sarah—!"

She hung up the phone.

_I have to do this,_ she thought._ I have to go back._

Sarah went to her closet and pulled down her treasure box. It was filled with the things from her childhood that she couldn't give up, no matter how grown up she had become. She lifted the lid and pulled out her worn copy of _The Labyrinth_. The spine was cracking and the pages falling out.

"Goblin King—Jareth—we're not enemies any more, right?" she said, caressing the cover. "You wanted me to come back, and I said no. I'm sorry. But I need your help now. Please. Help me."

Silence echoed back at her. Tears stung her eyes. "Someone kidnapped my baby. Help me. Please."

Red, black, and silver glitter began to fall around her, and a chill went up her spine.

"I'll help you," hissed a voice.

It wasn't Jareth.

Darkness sprang up from every shadow in the room, swallowing Sarah. Her copy of _The Labyrinth_ slipped from her fingers. She felt herself falling again and reached out in hopes of finding anything that would stop her rapid descent, but there was nothing. Mocking laughter swirled around her and Sarah screamed. This was not Jareth. Something else, something evil had her in its power.

A tiny pinprick of light appeared above Sarah and she reached for it.

_Help me!_ she cried wordlessly.

The light grew a little bigger and Sarah felt something brush her fingers. She closed her hand over a smooth round surface.

_Will you help me in return? _asked a soundless voice.

"Yes," Sarah said.

Light suffused the blackness and swallowed Sarah.

* * *

Sarah found herself in the Goblin King's throne room. The King himself was sitting on an open ledge looking over his kingdom. Sarah approached hesitantly. She looked out at the Labyrinth and gasped. Once green walls of shrubbery were now brown and dead. Cracked masonry and shattered stone was all that was left of the goblin town at the base of the castle. Everything lay in ruins and a baleful orange sun watched over it all.

Sarah turned her attention to the Goblin King. His once impeccable outfit was ragged and thread bare. His platinum hair lay plastered to his skull in lank strands and the handsome lines of his face were obscured by weariness. Dark bags hung under eyes clouded with memories and unhealthy shadows filled the hollows of his cheeks.

"Jareth?" Sarah questioned.

The King seemed not to hear her. He kept staring out over his ruined land and muttered to himself. Sarah placed a hand on his shoulder and said his name again. He turned to her and the scene changed.

She was in her parent's room by Toby's empty crib. Goblins surrounded her as the Goblin King stood before her resplendent in his black outfit and cape with midnight blue lining.

"I've brought you a gift," he said

He held out his hand and a crystal appeared.

"What is it?" she asked. Foreboding filled her. Why was Jareth showing her this?

"It's a crystal," he said, impatient that she couldn't see the obvious.

He began waving his hands, the crystal ball dancing over and around his long elegant fingers. He stopped the ball on his fingertips and held it out again.

"If you turn it this way it shows you your dreams. But if you turn it this way—"

He spun the ball and it changed into a little demon with bat-like wings and bull's horns sprouting from its head. The demon hissed at Sarah. She recoiled and looked at Jareth. Her eyes went wide. The King's hair was black and his eyes were a burning red. Roiling shadows with hungry eyes stared at her over the man's shoulders.

"Jareth?"

The man smiled. "No."

He threw the little demon at her. Sarah screamed and felt herself falling, falling. Mocking laughter followed her, and underneath that laughter she thought she heard the plea, _save me_.

* * *

Sarah woke with a start, eyes open and a scream fading on her lips. Something warm and heavy draped itself across her shoulders, and she looked up into a familiar broad, fanged face.

"Sawah, 'wake?" Ludo rumbled.

Sarah looked around her. There was the pond where she'd met Hoggle on her first trip into the Labyrinth; now dry and overgrown with some purple tentacle plant. And a few yards away were the shattered remains of the wooden door she'd used to enter the Labyrinth. Sarah looked up into the monster's broad face again and smiled. She'd landed in his lap.

"Yes, I'm awake now," she said.

Ludo held out a massive hand.

"Here. Gift," he said.

In his palm nestled a crystal ball. It looked like the crystals that Jareth had used. Sarah hesitated, remembering the strange man in the flashback, or what ever it had been. She shook herself and reached out for the ball. Jareth wasn't her enemy anymore. He had asked for her help. The crystal sphere was warm and seemed to glow with its own inner light. Sarah stared into the swirling depths and was momentarily lost.

"'Bout time you showed up," a gruff voice said.


	3. Sally Ho!

**Sally Ho!**

The Demon King smiled as he watched Sarah in his onyx orb. She probably assumed she was up against an opponent similar to the Goblin King. He smiled. She was in for a nasty surprise.

A small cry made him look up. Sarah's daughter sat in a pit in the center of his audience chamber floor. The pit was covered in dark silks and filled with satin pillows. The child looked around with frightened eyes and emitted another whimper.

"Don't be scared," the Demon King said. "Your mother is on her way to save you." He turned back to his scrying orb. "She won't get far though." He chuckled.

After watching Sarah and her companions for another moment, the Demon King banished the orb and stood.

"I suppose I should go introduce myself."

He vanished in a rain of black and red glitter.

* * *

Sarah stood up from Ludo's lap and met Hoggle's gaze. The years had not been kind to the little dwarf. His face was even more wrinkled than she remembered and only a few iron-grey strands of hair were left of his once thick white mane.

Not far behind Hoggle, Sir Didymus stood next to Ambrosius. The diminutive knight's pelt was silvered, but he stood straight and proud.

"Thou hast returned to us fair maiden," the fox-terrier knight said with a bow.

Sarah looked down at her flannel pajamas. She didn't feel like a fair maiden. She felt like she'd entered a bad dream and wished it would end. Now. Her fingers tightened around the sphere in her hand and she felt only marginally reassured.

"It's good to see you again, Sir Didymus. Hoggle." She felt Ludo lumber up behind her and gave him a smile. "Good to see you too, Ludo."

Hoggle eyed her pajamas and lack of shoes. "Ya don't look ready to travel. What d'you think this is? A sleepover?"

"Sir Hoggle," said an indignant Sir Didymus. "That is no way to address Lady Sarah. Thou didst not even give her a greeting."

Hoggle muttered something that sounded like 'hi' and turned toward the shattered gates that had once guarded the Labyrinth.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Sarah asked her friends.

Ludo nodded his shaggy head.

"Thou hast come to solve the Labyrinth again and depose this new threat," said Sir Didymus with great confidence.

Sarah shook her head. "Someone stole my baby. I have to–" Sarah stopped as she felt the crystal in her hand pulse. She thought she heard a whispered plea in her mind. "I guess I am here to help Jareth too. But I have to find Ashley."

"Who's Ashley?" asked Hoggle.

"My little girl. She's only a baby. She must be frightened. When she was taken, I asked Jareth for help and he sent me here."

Hoggle raised his eyebrows, then sighed. "Well, I guess we'd better find ya somethin' suitable t'wear," said the dwarf. "Then we'd better get goin', if we knows what's good fer us."

"I can take care of the Lady's clothes right now," said a voice.

For a moment, hope swelled in Sarah. The voice sounded so like Jareth's. But then she turned, and dread filled her. It was the man from her dream, or vision, before she'd awakened in the Labyrinth.

His hair was styled much like Jareth's but where the Goblin King's locks had been blond this man's hair was dark as midnight. His poet shirt was scarlet silk, his ebony cloak lined with silver. Tight black leather pants sheathed well shaped legs and black leather boots touched with red and silver scrollwork covered his feet.

Before anyone could move the stranger waved his hand. Sarah found herself attired in a white button down shirt with puffy sleeves gathered at the wrists. A vest of dark green went over the shirt. Brown cloth pants covered her legs and knee high boots encased her lower legs and feet. A heavy cloak of forest green settled on her shoulders and her hair was pulled back in a braid.

Sarah's hand tightened around the crystal ball she held.

"Does that suit you, my lady?" the man asked.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked, not ready to accept a gift from the stranger.

The man smiled mockingly and bowed. "I am Iribo."

Sarah's friends gasped and backed away.

"I see that I am known to some of you," Iribo said with a smile.

"We was just leavin'," Hoggle said.

"We're going to solve the Labyrinth," Sarah said, holding her head high. She wouldn't show the fear she felt in Iribo's presence.

"You're going to attempt the Labyrinth without even knowing the rules?" Iribo inquired.

"Why should we know the rules when you'll probably just change them as it suits you?" Sarah asked, guessing correctly that this man was her enemy.

Iribo smiled more broadly. "Jareth always spoke highly of you, my dear. Now I begin to see why." He paused. "Unlike a former ruler of this Labyrinth, I do not intend to change the rules I set down. I'm even willing to let you have a say in them."

"You're very magnanimous," Sarah said, mocking.

Iribo gave her a small bow before he spoke again. "There is no time limit. Your goal is the castle at the center of the Labyrinth. You may ask aid of any creatures that you come across."

"I don't want any of my friends hurt," Sarah said.

Iribo tisked. "Who do you think I am? Your fairy godfather? I am not here to ensure you safety, only to achieve my goals. If that means that there must be sacrifices, then all I can say is, better you than me."

"Bastard!" Sarah yelled.

Without thinking she hurled the crystal sphere at him. Thunder shook the ground, sending Sarah and her friends to their knees. Several portions of the Labyrinth wall collapsed. Iribo disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Sarah swore that she saw shock on his face before he vanished, though his mocking disembodied laughter filled the air.

"I guess you'll have to figure out the rest of the rules on your own. Fare thee well, Lady Sarah."

There was silence as the companions stared at the broken Labyrinth doors.

"Well, good riddance," said Sir Didymus.

"We really oughtta go," said Hoggle. "Who knows what nasties ee's sent our way."

"Just let me call Ambrosius," said Sir Didymus. The small fox knight whistled. "Here Ambrosius. That braggart is gone. 'Tis time we started our quest."

Timidly, the Old English sheepdog came out from where he'd run to hide in a clump of tall grass. He walked to Sarah and dropped something at her feet. It was the crystal ball. Sarah stooped to pick it up and scratched Ambrosius' ears.

"Thanks boy," she said.

Ambrosius barked happily and went to Sir Didymus. Sarah looked at the crystal and smiled.

_Still with me, eh, Jareth? _she thought.

The ball pulsed and Sarah slipped it into her pocket.

"Let's go," she said, walking toward the gates of the Labyrinth.


	4. Slime and Snails

**Slime and Snails**

Hoggle led the way as the companions walked down the hall-like passage that Sarah remembered treading on her first visit to the Labyrinth. It was very different from her memory.

Thick yellowish slime oozed down the crumbling brick walls and gathered in stagnant pools on the uneven footpath. The eyeball lichen had been replaced by barbed angry looking red-purple plants. When Sarah got too close to one, she cried out as a dozen of the barbs shot out, digging into the skin.

"Idiot!" Hoggle rushed to her side, using a pair of tweezers to pull the barbs out. "These are bad. They burrow into ya and start cutting ya up from the inside out. Nasty way to go."

Sarah shuddered. "Get it out."

"I'm workin' on it. Hold still."

A few moments later, Hoggle removed the last barb. It had almost disappeared completely into her arm, but he caught the end of it and coaxed it out.

"Thank you," she said, looking at her bloody arm for any signs that a barb might have escaped.

Hoggle gave her a nod. "Th' Labyrin's a lot more dangerous now. Be careful." He took a bandage from a pouch on his belt and wound it around her arm.

They started walking again, staying near the middle of the path. Hoggle picked up a handful of rocks and tossed them at the walls ahead of them, triggering the spiny red-purple plants to fire their barbs before the group got too close.

"Who was that guy? Iribo?" Sarah asked after a while. Every so often, when she was sure the spiny lichen had been disarmed, she reached out to touch the wall. She was looking for the space that the worm had shown her on her last visit.

"Calls 'imself the Demon King," Hoggle said.

"That's it?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"He came 'ere a few months after you left," Hoggle continued. "Jareth 'ad disappeared an' th' Labyrinth was a mess. Monsters running everywhere, th' Bog growing and smelling the place up. Iribo said ee'd bring order back to th' Labyrinth. Most folks was happy to have someone in charge again. But then strange things started happenin'. Th' Bog stopped smellin' and started eatin' people. New monsters appeared, an' th' Labyrinth started to decay."

"A few of us rode to the castle to ask the Demon King to leave," said Sir Didymus, "but he killed most of that brave company. No one has dared go back to the castle since."

"Labyrinth scawee," Ludo rumbled.

Sarah reached over and patted his massive hand. He smiled at her.

"Now that thou hast returned fair maiden, I believe we have a chance to defeat this usurper and restore the Goblin King to his throne," said Sir Didymus.

Sarah nodded thoughtfully as she digested this new information. So this 'Demon King' character had taken over Jareth's kingdom. And where was Jareth? Why wasn't he here to protect what was his?

She gave a sudden squeak of surprise as her fingers met empty air. She'd found the trick wall.

"What happened?" asked a wide-eyed Hoggle.

"Art thou injured my lady?" asked Sir Didymus.

Ludo just rumbled unhappily.

"I'm alright. Come on," Sarah said as she began walking down the hidden path.

"Whatter you goin' that way for?" Hoggle asked.

Sarah walked back to where she could see her friends. "A little worm told me this was a good way to go last time I was here."

Hoggle bent double and hooted with laughter. Sarah frowned.

"I don't see what's so funny," she said indignantly.

"One of the most harmless creatures in th' Labyrinth," Hoggle said wiping tears from his eyes, "an' 'ee did the most harm." He started laughing again.

Sarah turned to Ludo and Sir Didymus for an explanation.

"The path we're on leads straight to the castle," Sir Didymus said.

Sarah's eyes grew big at the news.

"I'm sure 'ee meant well," Hoggle said as he got himself under control. "We was all scared of Jareth back then an' th' worm wouldn't 'ave sent you straight to 'im out of concern for yer safety."

"Well out of concern for my safety I don't think we should stay on this path," said Sarah.

"What doest thou mean?" asked Sir Didymus.

Sarah pointed and her friends turned. A huge spider had settled in the middle of the passage way that they'd been walking. The spider scuttled toward them, revealing large fangs dripping with poison.

"I like Sarah's way," said Hoggle as he brushed past her.

Sir Didymus stood in his stirrups and brandished his lance at the spider. "Halt, fiend!"

Ludo followed Hoggle's lead and took off down the side passage.

"Ambrosius, come!" Sarah called, following her friends.

She heard Sir Didymus yelp as his faithful steed ran after Sarah.

* * *

Iribo appeared in his throne room and collapsed onto his throne.

"Richard!" the Demon King yelled.

A tall man dressed in long grey robes came into the throne room.

"You have need of me, my lord?" the man asked.

"That girl hurt me. I need your healer's skills."

Richard bowed, left the room, and returned a moment later with a black medical bag. He walked to the throne and helped Iribo remove his cloak and shirt. Despite Richard's care, Iribo gasped as the dark-haired man began cleaning the wound. The Demon King looked at his shoulder and cursed. That little witch had really hurt him with the crystal ball.

There was a perfectly round burn mark on his shoulder and it hurt like hell. Usually he could heal wounds in a flash, but this one lingered. He sensed Jareth's power behind the wound. Richard placed a salve over the wound and then a clean bandage. Iribo irritably pulled his shirt back into place and summoned an obsidian scrying orb.

Iribo's mood improved a bit and he smiled. Sarah and her little band were already meeting some new denizens of the Labyrinth. Spiders as large as ponies were chasing the group, herding them toward the enormous queen spider. Richard watched the small group with a small frown on his handsome face. Iribo caught the frown and banished the orb.

"You disapprove of my sport?" the King asked.

"It seems hardly sporting, my lord," Richard said. "A woman, a dwarf, a fox-terrier knight, and a beast against all of your creatures and a corrupted Labyrinth."

Iribo gave Richard a sour look. "When you put it that way it does sound unsporting. However, I don't intend to let Lady Sarah die just yet. She has something to do for me. Something only she can do."

"And that is—"

Iribo tapped the side of his nose with a gloved hand and smiled. "That is my little secret."


	5. We Have You Now!

**We Have You Now!**

Sarah was in Jareth's arms and they were dancing. The ball room was just as she remembered it. All gilt, silk, and show. The only difference was that the guests had beautiful masks, not the horrible goblin-like faces that they'd worn before.

"You look perplexed," the Goblin King said with a soft ring of laughter in his voice.

Sarah brought her attention back to her partner. "I was just thinking that the masks are different from the last time I was here."

Jareth laughed. "This is you dream. You control the details."

"Dream?"

Jareth spun her out to arm's length and then pulled her back in close, wrapping his arms around her. He pressed his cheek to hers.

"Dream," he whispered into her ear.

Sarah's leg started throbbing and when she looked down she realized that she wasn't in a ball gown, but her traveling clothes that Iribo had given her. A sluggish flow of blood came from a small wound on her thigh. She looked at Jareth in confusion.

"Perhaps it is time for you to wake up," the Goblin King said.

He knelt at her side and, after wiping the blood away, kissed the wound on her leg. The throbbing stopped almost immediately and was replaced by a warm sensation. Jareth rose and took her face in his gloved hands.

"I'm counting on you," he said.

Sarah's breath caught. _He's going to kiss me._

Jareth released her and took a step backward. The ball room and its occupants faded around her. She reached out to Jareth.

"Wait!"

"I _am _waiting, Sarah," was the faint reply.

Something brushed Sarah's leg. She opened her eyes—and screamed.

* * *

Iribo watched Sarah's reaction with great interest, while trying to ignore the wailing of the little girl whom he had kidnapped. Finally he ground his teeth and yelled for Richard.

"Take that child and do something to make her shut up," the irritated Demon King demanded.

"My lord, I know nothing of children," Richard protested.

"I don't care. Go let the Fierys play with her or toss her in the Bog of Eternal Stench."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, my lord."

Iribo fixed Richard with a glare. "I was being facetious. Take her away. I don't care where."

Richard bowed and walked to the depression where the child sat, crying. He gingerly picked her up and bounced her a bit. The little girl quieted and clung to Richard.

"Well done," Iribo said.

Richard bowed and left the room.

Iribo turned back to watch Sarah. The spiders had caught the girl and her friends and now held them captive in a huge web. The queen spider was advancing on Sarah with the intent of eating the girl.

"We can't have that," Iribo said.

He sent a mental command to the queen telling her to leave Sarah alone. The queen hissed and seemed to look directly at him. Iribo gasped. On the queen's brow was a circlet of black diamonds with a ruby at the center.

"I took that from her," Iribo fumed. "How did she get it back?"

A dry chuckle resounded in the chamber and a ghostly Jareth appeared near where the child had been a moment before.

"You," the Demon King spat. "Did you give the queen her diadem?"

"Perhaps," the Goblin King said.

"You idiot!" Iribo raged. "Do you want to see the girl killed?"

"Please," Jareth said looking hurt. "Have a little more faith in me."

The Goblin King laughed again and disappeared. Iribo cursed and turned back to his orb.

* * *

Sarah was facing the ugliest creature she'd ever seen. It looked like a giant spider and it was at least three or four times bigger than Ludo. What made the creature so ugly was the human-looking head and torso that protruded from where the spider's head should have been.

The features of the face were feminine except for the mouth which sported huge fangs. Long black hair flowed down the creature's back and hung around the junction between the human and spider parts. Upon the woman's brow was a tiara of black diamonds and a huge ruby. The thing advanced toward her and Sarah screamed again.

"Ludo scared," came a voice from above where Sarah hung.

Sarah kept her attention on the spider-woman not daring to look and see if any of her other friends were nearby. She struggled furiously and managed to get one leg free. She lashed out at the spider queen.

"Back off," Sarah yelled.

The spider queen blinked at her and then smiled. "The more you struggle the better you taste," she hissed.

Sarah was taken aback. "You speak?"

The queen laughed. It sounded like dry scales rushing over sand.

"Of course I speak. Continue your struggles girl. I will feast on your flesh and blood before going to the castle and destroying that pompous upstart, Iribo. He stole my diadem and thought to control me and my children, but we will have the last laugh. Then I will rule the Labyrinth."

"You'll have to deal with Jareth first," Sarah reminded the queen.

"The Goblin King is nothing but a quickly fading memory. He poses no threat to me."

The queen's eyes flashed red. "Enough talk. I'm hungry."

Sarah flailed with her free leg as the spider-woman reached out for her. managed to kick the spider-queen in the face but Sarah couldn't hold her off for long with just one leg.

The queen suddenly pulled back with a cry of surprise. Black blood flowed from an arrow wound in her abdomen. Another arrow flew out of nowhere and struck the queen near the junction of her human and spider parts.

"Who dares?" the queen roared.

A dozen of the spiders that had been chasing Sarah and her friends gathered under and around the queen. A lone figure appeared between some dead shrubs and shot another arrow, this one taking out one of the drone spiders. The queen screeched and sent all her drones after the figure.

"Bad move, Highness," a voice next to Sarah said.

As if the speaker's words had been a cue, a band of twenty armed and armored goblins charged the queen with swords and spears. Sarah turned her head to see who had spoken. A goblin in what looked like samurai armor stood on the webbing at Sarah's side. He wore a horned helmet and a grimacing mask covered the lower part of his face. By the twinkle in his eyes, Sarah guessed that he was smiling.

"Shall I free you, my Lady?" the samurai goblin asked.

"I'd appreciate it," Sarah said.

The goblin nodded and drew the longer of the two swords at his hip. With three swift strokes he freed her from the web. She dropped a few feet to the ground, her right leg buckling under her weight.

"My friends—" Sarah gasped.

"Already taken care of," the samurai goblin said.

Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus crowded around her. Ludo offered Sarah his hand, and she stood with his help, keeping pressure off her injured leg.

_He's got a bit more initiative than your usual goblin_, Sarah thought.

Sarah turned back to the fight between the queen and the other goblins. The queen was losing badly. Five of her legs had been hacked off, and she sported numerous arrows and spears in her bulbous body. But the goblins had suffered casualties too. Three goblins lay unmoving under the queen and two more were backing off, nursing broken limbs.

With a war cry the goblin who had freed Sarah launched himself at the queen. He landed on her back and sunk his long blade into the junction between her two parts. The queen shrieked and tried to buck the goblin off. Sarah's rescuer held on and managed to pull his short sword which he plunged through the queen's back. She reared up leaving her belly exposed to the goblins on the ground who darted in, skewering her with swords and spears. The queen let out a long high pitched keen as the goblins around her scattered. The queen crashed to the ground, dead.

"Sarah, y'okay?" Hoggle asked.

Sarah finally looked at her leg. There was a tear in her pants where a black stinger poked through. She pulled the stinger from her leg and inspected the wound. It was shallow and not bleeding. Sarah nodded to Hoggle.

"I'm alright. What about you?" she asked as she looked over her friends.

"Never better," Sir Didymus said.

"Bumped and bruised a bit, but I'll live," Hoggle replied.

"Ludo scared," the hairy beast moaned.

"What about the drones," Sir Didymus asked turning to the samurai goblin. "Do they not still pose a threat?"

The goblin who had freed Sarah strode up wiping his swords on a cloth. He sheathed the swords and threw the cloth over his shoulder.

"My warriors took care of the drones that were here. There may be a few more running around the Labyrinth, but they most likely won't be a problem."

"Who'er you?" Hoggle asked.

The goblin loosened the ties holding his mask on and lowered it. Sarah was surprised at how human-looking his features were.

"My name is Kenji," the goblin said. "One of His Highness' elite warriors."

Hoggle looked at the warrior with suspicion. "His Highness being—"

"The Goblin King of course."

"How is it thou doest not look more like a goblin?" Sir Didymus asked, saving Sarah from trying to find a polite way to ask that very question.

"I was an older child when His Highness took me. The change to goblin was not as successful, leaving me with more intelligence and human-looking features."

"Why didn't you help defend the castle when I was here the first time?" Sarah asked. "If you'd been there my friends and I never have reached the castle."

Kenji's back stiffened. The subject was obviously not one he liked to discuss.

"His Majesty ordered me not to harm you. I could do nothing but sit in the castle and watch."

Sarah nodded and let the subject drop. "Thank you for your help today." Turning to her friends she said, "We'd better get going."

"Wait," the samurai goblin said.

Kenji went to the fallen queen and took the diadem from her head. He walked back to where Sarah stood and held it out to her.

"If you take this, then the remaining spiders will leave you alone. They'll think you are their queen."

"I'm thinkin' that's not such a good thing," Hoggle said. "What if they want her ta, I don't know, lay eggs or somethin'?"

The samurai goblin gave Hoggle a withering look. "The drones do not make the queen do anything. She commands them."

Hoggle harumphed and crossed his arms over his chest, still not convinced. Kenji turned back to Sarah. "I cannot make you take this diadem, but I think it will be in your best interest to do so."

Sarah stared at the thing for a long moment and felt the orb in her pocket grow warm. She sighed. "I might as well."

She held out her hand, but Kenji withdrew the tiara. "May I?" he asked"

Sarah nodded and knelt. The samurai goblin placed the tiara on her head and she stood. The assembled goblins, who had gathered around the group, let out a collective gasp.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"The diadem—" Hoggle began.

"It hath changed color," Sir Didymus finished.

Sarah pulled the tiara off her head and looked at it. All the black diamonds had become white and the red gem at the center had become a blue-green color.

_Almost like his eyes_, Sarah thought as she stared into the mesmerizing gem.

Kenji cleared his throat to get Sarah's attention. She gave herself a small shake and put the tiara back on her head. Kenji handed her a small wooden whistle.

"If you ever need us, just give one long blast on this. We will never be far."

With that, Kenji and his little band disappeared into the ruins of the Labyrinth.

* * *

"Jareth, you bastard!" Iribo howled.

"Ah, ah," came the calm disembodied voice. "My parentage is not in question. But yours might be."

Iribo roared like a wild animal and created vast amounts of his onyx orbs. He began hurling them at every shadow and anything that moved.

"I will be rid of you!" the infuriated Demon King screamed.

When all the orbs were gone, along with quite a few of Iribo's unlucky minions, the exhausted ruler walked to his throne and slumped into it.

"Do you feel any better?" Jareth's voice inquired.

"No, damn you. Why won't you just fade away?"

A ghostly Jareth materialized next to the throne. "It's too much fun tormenting you. Your temper tantrums are spectacular."

"I guess it all hinges on that girl then," Iribo said softly.

Jareth grew serious. "You can't win, you know."

"We'll see. I may just sway her to my cause yet."


	6. I Can be Cruel

**I Can be Cruel**

Sarah looked out over the small town of mud-brick houses. Some of the Labyrinth's denizens had gathered there and made a semblance of order in the chaos that was now the Labyrinth. Goblins and Fierys lived side by side with junk people and fairies. Even some of the false alarms and various door knockers and guards had ended up in the village. One of Kenji's goblins had led Sarah and her friends to the place where they were put up for the night.

Now in the predawn light, Sarah stood near the outskirts of the town. She'd slept poorly and her leg still pained her. A tired sort of restlessness had taken hold of her and she slipped from the house where she and her friends were staying.

"Jareth, what's happened to your kingdom?" she asked softly.

The crystal globe in her pocket pulsed warmly. Her hand slid into her pocket and she pulled the orb out. Colors and twinkling lights swirled in the crystalline depths, but Sarah didn't look too deeply. The last thing she needed was to be pulled into a dream world. She slipped the globe back into her pocket.

Sarah started to walk, letting her feet lead her aimlessly. She had no real goal in mind, just some mindless movement to keep her from thinking too much. As she neared the dark forest that surrounded the little town, she had to take more care where she stepped so as to avoid pools of stagnant water and less pleasant things. It was probably a bad idea to wander into the forest without her friends, and not having told anyone where she was going, but Sarah didn't care right then.

Huge trees, bare limbs dangling with moss, cut off any light that might have been showing at the horizon. Nothing but fungus and a few sickly yellow-green plants were growing on the ground.

"Charming place," Sarah muttered to herself.

She walked for a good ten minutes before coming to a sort of clearing. There was a sluggish grey-brown streamlet running the length of the clearing, trickling off into the trees. Sarah took a seat on a large boulder near the stream and stared into the murky water. Her reflection stared back, distorted by the ripples of tiny creatures in the water.

She wondered how her baby daughter was faring in this horrible place.

"Where are you, Ashley?" she whispered.

Sarah pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs. She'd been in the Labyrinth for a couple of days now, and she didn't like it. She wondered how long it would take her to save Ashley and get back home. Would Iribo even allow them to go home?

She was so intent on her musings that she didn't notice the great horned owl that settled into the tree across from her. Nor did she notice the man who entered the clearing until he called her name.

"Sarah."

She turned and her heart leapt into her throat. Standing in front of her was Richard, her dead husband. And in his arms was their daughter.

"Richard?" Sarah asked as she slid from the rock, moving toward him.

The man smiled timidly. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"I'm Sarah, your wife."

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't remember."

"But you just said my name."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "It seemed the proper name to call you by."

Sarah swallowed against the lump in her throat. She turned her gaze to Ashley. "How is she?"

Richard looked at the little girl, who was sleeping in his arms.

"She's well enough. I think she misses you though."

Sarah took a step toward Richard. "May I hold her?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea. We're on opposite sides after all."

Sarah took another step forward.

"Can I touch her at least? Give her a kiss?"

Richard moved back and two little demons with cat-like bodies, scorpion tails, and twiggy legs moved between them.

"I think I'd better leave now. Don't follow me. I don't want these things attack you."

Richard turned and walked into the forest.

"Wait!" Sarah called as she ran after him.

The two demons hissed and leapt.

Sarah gasped and threw her hands up to protect herself.

The horned owl swooped down from its perch and grabbed one of the demons, knocking the other away from Sarah. The owl tore the demon in its talons in half, dropping the pieces into the streamlet, then banked and came back for the other one. The cat demon gave a frightened screech and ran off into the woods. With a low hooting cry the owl followed.

Sarah backed up until she felt the rock against her calves, then slid down to sit on the ground. A strangled sob escaped her, then another. She hugged her knees to her chest. She had been so close to her daughter, and yet hadn't been able to do anything. And Richard? What had happened to him? Had the Iribo taken him and faked his death a year earlier? It was almost too much to take.

Soft footsteps announced the approach of someone, but Sarah didn't look up. Gentle hands clasped her shoulders and gave her a shake.

"Sarah."

She lifted her head and found herself looking into the mismatched eyes of Iribo. The Demon King smiled at her.  
"I can give them back to you Sarah," he murmured. "You can have your husband and daughter back in your life forever. All I ask is that you help me."

"Why did you take them from me in the first place?" Sarah cried. "Why are you trying to destroy my life?"

Iribo brushed his fingers across her cheek. "I'm a creature of habit," he confessed. "I only know a certain way to do things. When I want something, I do everything in my power to get it. Even if it means hurting others in the process."

Sarah couldn't help but notice similarities between Iribo and Jareth. They were both pigheaded and arrogant. And yet they both seemed to have a softer side that came out once in a while. Sarah brushed Iribo's hands away and met his gaze.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

A calculating twinkle came into the Demon King's eyes. "You'll help me then?"

Sarah shook her head. "I want to know what your plan is before I come to a decision."

Iribo sat back on his haunches. "Fair enough. I want to remake the Labyrinth. Ever since you defeated Jareth it's been falling apart. You thought it was dangerous before? It's even worse now. My only problem is that Jareth is trying to hold on to the Labyrinth. I can't seem to get rid of him. That's where you come in. You defeated him once, so I'm asking you to do it again. Banish him from this realm forever."

"What about the creatures living here now? Somehow I don't think you're going to let them continue to stay in this new Labyrinth of yours."

Iribo looked hurt. "Of course they can stay. It's their home too. They'll have to be turned into demons, but it's not too painful a process."

Sarah gaped at him. "You want to turn everyone into demons?"

"I am the Demon King after all."

Sarah stood and started pacing. She couldn't believe it. She'd never had a real fondness for some of the Labyrinth's denizens, but to turn them all into demons . . . She knew it was wrong. "Have you ever heard the phrase, 'the good of the many outweighs the good of the one'?"

Iribo rose to his feet and flicked his cape behind him. His eyes were cold like ice. "I can't say I've heard that one."

"Well, I can't help you. I can't let you take everyone from this place and twist them to your sick will. I will find a way to stop you."

"Very well then," Iribo said. "We are enemies. I hold your husband and child captive. If you do not reach the castle at the center of this Labyrinth in the next two days, I will be forced to turn them into demons and have them kill you. Perhaps that will drive whatever remains of Jareth from this place."

Iribo snapped his fingers and the clearing was suddenly filled with demons.

"I will let you play with my servants for a bit."

He vanished and the demons began to close in around Sarah.

"Someone, help," she croaked.

The demons launched themselves at Sarah with a shrieking cry. Light flared from the orb in Sarah's pocket and when it faded, both the demons and Sarah were gone.

* * *

Sarah found herself in the throne room of the Goblin King. It seemed as if time had been frozen in the middle of a party. Goblins were drinking from kegs of ale while others were chasing chickens around the room, feathers frozen in the act of falling. Seated on his throne was Jareth, the Goblin King. He was more casual that Sarah had ever seen him, clad only in tight grey pants, a white poet shirt, and knee high black boots. One leg was thrown over the arm of his throne, the other foot resting on the floor. In his gloved hands he loosely held a riding crop. He had a look of intense concentration on his face. Sarah moved through the goblins, making her way toward the throne.

Suddenly Jareth turned his head and was staring right at her and Sarah gasped.

"I can't keep saving you like this," the Goblin King said.

He rose and purposefully walked down the steps toward Sarah until he was inches from her face.

"My power is very limited and each time I use it to help you I have that much less to fight Iribo with."

"I- I'm sorry," Sarah stammered.

Jareth sighed and moved back a step.

"Don't be sorry. Just get to the castle quickly and defeat Iribo."

"I don't know how," Sarah said, on the verge of tears. "He has Richard and Ashley. I don't think a few words will defeat him."

Jareth shot an unreadable look at her.

"You have it within you," he said. "Somewhere in that pretty head of yours is the answer to getting rid of that pest."

He moved around her like a lion stalking its prey. Sarah followed him with her eyes, not daring to move.

"I have helped you as much as I can. Now it's up to you." His voice took on a gentler tone. "Don't let me down, Sarah. This is the last gift I can give you."


	7. The Castle

**A/N: **I have edited Chapter 6 to better lead into 7. If you have not read Chapter 6 in a while, please go back and do so in order to get the full effect. Thanks!

**The Castle at the Center of the Labyrinth**

Iribo held the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off a headache.

"Richard!" he called.

Richard hurried into the room, Ashley in his arms. The Demon King watched him set the little girl in the pillow lined pit before moving to kneel in front of his lord.

"I know I told you to take the child out of my sight, but I really didn't expect you to take her to her mother."  
Iribo's mismatched eyes fixed Richard with a hard stare. The man swallowed nervously and stared at the floor.  
"It wasn't my intention to run into Sarah—" Richard began.

"Sarah?" Iribo asked, standing up and pacing the length of the dais. "Sarah? Suddenly you're calling her by her name?"

Richard cringed. "I didn't know her name before. It seemed proper to use it, now that I know."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing that she met you," the Demon King muttered, still pacing and thinking aloud. "She thinks you're her husband and I can use that against her." He stopped and looked down at Richard's kneeling form. "I forbid you to leave the castle again. You will take care of the child and tend to me as I need you, but you will not venture into the Labyrinth again."

Richard bowed. "Yes, my lord."

* * *

_The castle looks better than it ever did when Jareth ruled_, Sarah thought.

If she were truthful with herself, she'd admit she had only seen the throne room and the Escher room, and a few connecting hallways. It was possible that Jareth had kept other portions of the castle in better shape. But she'd bet that it had never looked quite this grand under the Goblin King's rule.

The walls of the hallway Sarah walked along were made of onyx with rubies glittering in the polished black. Even the floor and ceiling were made of onyx. Every surface was so highly polished it was like looking in a mirror. Sarah kept pace with an endless entourage of herself for company.

This had been Jareth's last gift. He'd dropped her in some deserted room of the castle. Sarah had dug frantically into her pocket, looking for the crystal orb when she first woke. When she'd pulled it out, it was the size of a pea. That terrified her. Was this all the power Jareth had left to fight Iribo with?

She wasn't sure what to do. Should she seek out the Demon King? Find a way to let her friends into the castle? Curl up in a corner and cry?

The last option didn't appeal to her. She'd done a lot of crying since Richard died, and she was determined to stop. No more crying, she told herself firmly.

Sarah peeked into a couple of the rooms along the hallway, since it didn't show signs of ending anytime soon. The rooms were mostly empty, though a few held sheet-draped furniture. Once, her heart had nearly jumped out of her chest when she spotted a pale face staring back at her, but a moment later she'd realized it was only a mirror.

"What an empty, lonely place. Was it like this for you, Jareth? Did you ever hold balls and feasts, or did you just brood here with only your goblins for company?"

* * *

"So, she's finally come," Iribo murmured. "Is this your doing, Jareth?"

Around him, his demons hissed and snarled, a seething mass of living shadows.

Iribo formed an onyx globe on his gloved fingertips and stared into the depths. Sarah's face appeared. She looked unconcerned; even curious.

"Where do you find such resolve?" he mused.

"Eat her," the demons hissed. "Crush her. Doom her."

The Demon King waved their words away. His smile melted into thin-lipped irritation. "I think one final illusion. I grow weary of our games."

He cupped the orb close to his mouth and whispered, then opened his hands. The orb hovered before him for a moment, then whizzed away into the castle.

* * *

Ahead, Sarah heard faint music. There was something familiar about the melody. She hummed absently as she walked, trying to find which room the music was coming from. She didn't notice the black orb suspended a few feet above her head.

The door from behind which the music emanated was white oak, inlaid with gold and mother of pearl. It was almost blinding set in the obsidian walls. The ornate golden doorknob looked like an owl's head. The open beak was a large keyhole and when Sarah crouched down, she could peer through it.

The room was full of people, apparently having a party. Women in long frilly dresses, and men in tight breaches and frock coats wore masks and danced around the room. They all seemed to be having a wonderful time, and Sarah found she ached to join them. She backed away from the door, rubbing her arms as a sudden chill hit her. What was she doing, longing to go to a party in enemy territory? She should move on. She had to find Ashley and Richard, and confront Iribo.

Unnoticed, the black orb floated closer, settling on Sarah's shoulder just out of her peripheral vision.

She moved back to peek through the keyhole again. Maybe Iribo was in the room. Would she be safer entering a room full of people with him, or should she confront him alone?

A flash of silver caught Sarah's eye. A young woman with dark hair in a mass of soft curls moved through the crowd. Ribbons of silver and pearls were threaded through her hair and a snowy owl mask hid her face.

_There wasn't a mask last time_, she thought. Then she shook her head. What was she thinking? Last time? She'd never been to a party this fancy—had she?

The young woman in the owl mask hurried around the ball room, trying to find someone. Her date? Her lover?

And then Sarah saw him, pressed between two women who hung on him adoringly. His golden locks tinted with purple and green. His green and blue eyes glinting mischievously.

Sarah flung the door open.

"Jareth!"

The crowd of dancers stopped and stared at her. Sarah felt her cheeks heat and stared down at the black and red ball gown she wore, picking at a beaded pattern with a silk-gloved finger.

"Sorry," she mumbled and moved to an inconspicuous place near the wall.

The music struck up again, and soon the crowd was laughing and dancing, her outburst forgotten. Sarah looked around for the man she'd spotted. She couldn't see him anymore. Who had he been anyway, and why had she reacted so strongly?

"May I have this dance?" a voice asked next to her ear.

Sarah turned, finding her gaze captured by a handsome man in a devilish mask. Ivory ram horns pushed through his red streaked black hair to curl around his ears. The eyes behind the mask seemed to shift from warm brown to burning red. She thought his eyes should have frightened her, but she was only intrigued.

"I'd be honored," she said, offering her hand.

Her mysterious partner pulled her close and swept her out onto the dance floor. She knew the grin on her face was far from demure but she didn't care. Her partner was handsome and an amazing dancer, and she saw several of the women giving her envious looks.

"You are beautiful, Sarah," her partner whispered in her ear. "Enchanting."

"You have me at a disadvantage, sir," she said breathlessly. "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Iribo," came the seductive murmur. Warm lips brushed her neck.

Sarah shivered and closed her eyes as he spun her gracefully across the floor. She didn't know how long they wove their way through the other dancers. One song flowed into the next and into the next and so on, until she lost all sense of time and place. All she knew was the feel of Iribo's arms around her, and his voice humming in her ear.

When she opened her eyes again, they were in a dim alcove, away from the other dancers. Iribo spun her out to arm's length then pulled her to him, her back against his chest. His arms went around her waist, and she laid her head against his shoulder.

"Look," he said.

Sarah looked. There was a mirror in front of them, and she had a chance to see her mask. It was black with ruby chips around the edges. Diamond shards circled the eye holes, and from the brow rose a slender, spiraled, ivory horn.

"I'm a unicorn?"

"You are the maiden who tempts the unicorn," Iribo murmured in her ear. "The sweet nectar that calls to the honeybee. You are so tempting, sweet Sarah."

She turned in his arms, her eyes searching his. "And what are you?"

He smiled, flashing his teeth, and said, "The sleeper who dreams the nightmare."

His words made her shiver, but not with the sensuous arousal she'd felt before. There was something dark and hungry in his voice. She turned away from him and took a step toward the mirror. He let her go.

A thought niggled at the back of her mind. She'd been looking for something. For someone. She didn't have time to dance and flirt. Sarah stepped closer to the mirror and a sparkle at her throat caught her eye. Around her neck hung a fine gold chain from which dangled a pendant. A golden owl's claw clutching a tiny crystal ball.

"Stay with me, Sarah," Iribo whispered in her ear.

"What do you offer me?" she asked.

This situation felt so familiar. Hadn't another king offered her everything he had, everything he was, if she would but worship him?

She stared deeper into the mirror. Out on the dance floor, a couple caught her eye. A tall man with blond hair dressed in a violet jacket with a silk cravat at his throat, and his partner, a young woman in white and silver. Sarah felt a sudden stab of envy at the adoration on their faces as they stared at each other.

"I had that once," she murmured. "Didn't I?"

She reached up to touch the mirror, but Iribo caught her hand.

"You can have that again. The affection. The devotion. Just say you'll stay with me. Be my queen, and I'll give you everything your heart desires."

Sarah's gaze refocused on Iribo standing behind her. His hand slid across her stomach as the other came up to caress her cheek.

"Say the words, Sarah." His lips brushed her ear. "Give yourself to me."

The pendant at her throat flashed, and words filled her head.

_Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered . . . _

"No!" Iribo let her go and jumped back as if she'd burned him. "Not those words!"

She stared at his reflection; his face—suddenly unmasked—twisted in rage and horror.

_I have fought my way here_ _to the castle beyond the Goblin City . . ._

Around her, the ballroom began to crumble, like a sandcastle caught in the rising tide. The dancers stood frozen, turned to stone. The bright decorations were dull and lifeless grey.

"This is your last chance, Sarah," Iribo said. "If you finish the words—"

_To take back the child . . ._

"—You'll never see your daughter again."

Sarah's hand flew to her throat, closing around the crystal ball pendant; the light it gave off, snuffed by her black-gloved hand.

"Give me my daughter," Sarah whispered.

Iribo smiled, and Sarah whirled to face him. Behind the Demon King stood Richard, holding Ashley in his arms. Around them shadows with red eyes and white fangs writhed and slithered. Sarah bit back a whimper.

"Give me the pendant, Sarah," Iribo said. "I'll give you your husband and daughter. You can stay here, or go back to your home. It's your choice. Just give me the crystal."

Sarah jerked on the pendant, snapping the golden chain. She looked at the crystal. It glowed warmly, seeming to promise safety. Her eyes flicked back to Iribo and beyond him, her family.

_Trust me, Sarah_, Jareth's voice whispered in her ear.

Sarah held out her hand, palm up, the crystal resting in her palm

Iribo grinned and walked toward her, reaching.

"You have no power over me," she said.

Iribo's eyes flew wide. "No!"

Sarah flung the crystal against the unforgiving flagstones of the floor, where it shattered.

Blinding white light ignited the room and screams filled the air.


End file.
